Professor Anton Krige

Anton is an innovator within ICU, perioperative medicine and the wider hospital. He has had many successful NHS projects since the start of his career. When Enhanced Recovery after Surgery launched across the NHS in 2012, he was on the Strategic Health Authority board and led the roll out across the North West.

Anton's was Director of R&D at East Lancashire Teaching Hospitals (ELHT) for 8 years. He was instrumental in establishing strong research links and collaborations with UCLan academics.

Anton was key in getting ELHT and UCLan to work together for ELHT to be recognised as a University Teaching Hospital. Anton has collaborated with UCLan staff for his clinical research, resulting in a recent publication on Augmented Renal Clearance in critically ill patients. An exciting current collaboration with UCLan involves the study of the impact of exogenous ketone esters in the management of status epilepticus.

Anton contributes to local UCLan medical student teaching on their intensive care unit rotations.

Anton attended the University of Stellenbosch Medical School in South Africa, graduating in 1994. He completed specialist training in Anaesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine in the UK. He attained a Fellowship of the Royal College of Anaesthetists in 2001 and a Fellowship from the Faculty of Intensive Care Medicine in 2011. He was accredited as a specialist in anaesthesia and intensive care medicine and was appointed as a Consultant at ELHT in 2005.

Anton has been an active educator throughout his career, serving as an instructor Trauma and Paediatric Advanced Life Support Courses. He created and delivered local courses in Surviving Sepsis and Enhanced Recovery after Surgery for anaesthetists. Anton is recognised as an expert in enhanced recovery after surgery, analgesia and advanced haemodynamic monitoring. He delivers regular national and regional lectures on these topics. Anton delivers bedside teaching to staff including medical students and junior doctors in the operating theatre, ICU and one-to-one in the Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing Clinic.

Anton further contributes to formal teaching by delivering ICU regional tutorial topics. The role of academic research supervisor for the ELHT Academic Foundation Year doctors and the Clinical Research Fellow for Anaesthesia and Critical Care includes educating them on research and quality improvement methodology and the delivery of projects.

Anton is well known for introducing many large scale innovations across the organisation. The largest ongoing project is the Enhanced Recovery after Surgery Programs started in 2008. This has grown from strength to strength, leading to significant improvements in patient outcomes. He still provides clinical leadership.

Anton has both a managerial and leadership role in research, as well as delivering his own clinical research. Research leadership includes an 8-year tenure as R&D Director for ELHT ending in 2020. He is also the academic supervisor for Academic Foundation year doctors at ELHT, as well as a clinical research fellow. He has also been an NIHR CRN Speciality Lead since 2009. As President of the North West Anaesthesia Trainee Research Network, he is mentoring the next generation of clinical researchers.

Highlights of Anton's own research include delivery of complex intervention RCT funded by a NIHR RfPB grant. He is also co-applicant on a successful large HTA grant application in 2021 to deliver the same complex intervention as a large multi-centre RCT.